Without Words
by Mistress Reigns
Summary: Adam needed a human to step in and help him start the private clinic he's determined to open to honor the one owner who treated him like more than a pet. Fandango cannot speak, but it's fine because words can never express the feelings he finds himself hoarding when his best friend convinces him to adopt a plucky hybrid with a big dream.
1. Prologue

_To my dearest friend, Cathy._

_For being the driving force behind these stories._

_For listening to all of my insane ideas._

_For bringing me back to what I loved the most._

_And for being the best friend I have ever had the honor of making._

_**Prologue**_

_You must be the change you wish to see in the world._

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Adam sighed as he dropped down at the bar, combing his fingers through his hair as the familiar feeling of failure coursed through him. He had been home for less than three months and still, his journey to opening the clinic was nowhere closer to completion than it had been when he stepped off of the plane. Of course, it didn't help that finding an owner was nearly impossible.

No one wanted to be involved with a risky business decision even if it was for the good of hybrids all over the city. As far as most humans were concerned, they only worried about what they would get out of it and since it wasn't for them, they didn't care. Adam had a hard enough time convincing the committee assigned to handle hybrids opening businesses to give him some time to find an owner before just deciding his venture was doomed from the start.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when the empty seat beside him was suddenly filled.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," a bubbly, feminine voice said, startling Adam into glancing up. A young, pretty blonde in a white sundress sat on the stool beside him, smiling warmly. At least she wasn't leering at him or glaring at him like so many humans did.

He sat up a bit straighter and managed a smile for her in return; she seemed friendly enough and he hadn't been able to legitimately talk to someone in such a long time. "I've not lived around here for quite some time. Just got back a little while ago, actually. My name's Adam."

"I'm Summer Rae." She offered her hand and he shook it, noting how her eyes darted up to his ears. "You're a cat hybrid, aren't you? I just _love_ cat hybrids. So graceful and cuddly. May I?" She held out her hand again, and he found himself smiling as he dipped his head down a bit.

It had been too long since someone had offered to pet him, and all things considered, he had long since forgotten how good it felt. Mewling softly, he closed his eyes and just delighted in the gentle way her fingers soothed his ears, finding that spot that just made him melt and purr. Humans around here didn't tend to touch hybrids that didn't belong to them and he was so busy before he came home that he hardly thought about satisfying his craving for affection. Now, though, he felt a little crazy for putting it off as long as he had. He missed this so much.

"You are just precious," Summer cooed as she pulled back. "Are you here with your owner?"

"Hmm?" Adam sat up and took a moment to process her words, shaking off the little pleasant reverie he had fallen into. "Oh, um… No, actually. I don't have an owner at the moment. I've been doing my best to find one, though. Been a bit of a challenge. Didn't expect that."

She cocked her head at him, brows furrowed. "Any particular reason you're looking for one?"

"Well, I have something I want to get done and I need an owner for that. Here, they don't really let hybrids do their own thing." Understatement of the year. He was beginning to understand why so many hybrids didn't want to be snatched from their countries of origin.

"So you're opening a business or something, right?" Summer flagged the bartender down before turning back to him. "Some of my friends' hybrids run them and ownership is a big part of it."

"I'll pay for that," Adam said a beat after Summer ordered her drink, adding an order for his own as well. Might as well get smashed. Lord knew he didn't have any reason _not_ to. And the surprised smile out of Summer was nice, too. "I've been away studying medicine. It's not easy to do here and most doctors aren't equipped to properly care for hybrids. I came back here so I could open a private clinic just for hybrids. We need someone to take care of us, too."

Summer waved for him to continue, and as soon as their drinks were set down in front of them, Adam took a breath and launched into the story starting from when his last owner, Elizabeth, had died. It was hard to remember those days because she had truly been nothing but a wonderful person who had given him the tools he needed to learn about medicine in the first place. She was one of the rare few doctors who had wanted to understand hybrids better to help them.

Considering how few humans truly loved hybrids they way they needed to be loved in order to thrive, it was only natural Adam bonded with her. She showered him with love and affection, and when she realized he wanted to learn about medicine, she fostered that with everything she had. Even to the point of leaving her money to him when she died instead of her own children.

So he did what he hoped was the right thing to preserve her memory, using that money to travel the world and learn from doctors who truly knew how to take care of hybrids. Once he had learned all he could learn from them—and it took _years,_ so many years of effort and learning and traveling—he had come home hoping he could put his knowledge to use. What good was knowing how to help injured and sick hybrids if he didn't have a way to practice what he knew?

The only problem was that, like so many states, New York refused to grant him the necessary permission because he was one of few hybrids without an owner. Had he been poor, he was sure they would have found a way to force him into an adoption center. He had money, though, and the ability to support himself so they at least left him alone about that.

Once he finished the story, he stared down at his glass and gave Summer a moment to process everything. It was a long and complicated story; he knew it was because he had lived every moment of it. Even when he just wanted the struggle to end, he forced himself on because to do anything else would have been an insult to the memory of the one owner who had cared for him.

"Fucking hell," Summer whispered. "They really won't let you open the place on your own?"

Adam shook his head and finished off his drink, setting the empty glass back down on the bar. Much as he wished they would, he understood the twisted logic behind not giving him a chance to do this. "No. Not until I have an owner. And an owner is impossible to find. Everyone wants _something_ out of it other than companionship, and I'm not prepared to whore myself out."

"That's so stupid. They let all sorts of humans open businesses and hospitals even when they shouldn't, and here you are just trying to do something nice…" She scoffed and shook her head, her eyes flickering with anger that Adam could easily identify with.

"I know. Didn't seem like a good idea to point that out to them at the time, though." He shrugged half-heartedly, biting down on his bottom lip. "And unless I can find an owner by the end of the month, I don't think they're going to even consider this. And we _need_ this."

Summer nodded, reaching out to stroke his ears again, and he let her. "You do. The adoption center's doctor can't handle all of the sick hybrids, and their owners certainly can't."

"Only really, really small towns get away with it," he agreed, closing his eyes.

When she stopped, he opened his eyes once again and saw her occupied with her cell phone, giving the screen a thoughtful stare. He thought about asking, but that might just seem rude.

"What exactly are you looking for in an owner?" she asked, peering up at him through her hair.

"Just someone who's willing to co-sign the papers," he replied. "I can handle everything else, including the finances. I just can't sign off on everything on my own. There are very few places around here that see hybrids as fit to run successful practices on their own, unfortunately."

"I want you to meet a friend of mine who might be able to help you." Summer stood and Adam fished a few bills out of his wallet, leaving a generous tip for the bartender who probably had to deal with awful patrons on a nightly basis. "I can't guarantee he'll say yes, but he doesn't have a reason to say no, and I think… I think you might be good for him."

Adam knew it was a long shot and Summer Rae was virtually a stranger, but he had zero prospects and he was at least curious as to why she thought he might be good for her friend. She wasn't a bad person; he would have known from scent alone if she had ill intentions for him because a human's scent had a way of turning with the run of their thoughts. It was a sixth sense almost, the ability to discern something like that from scent alone, but it was one that had been traced back through the evolution of hybrids in general. For most of their history, they had been victims of abuse; it was only natural they had developed a sense to help them pick out bad people.

She hailed a cab and gave the driver the necessary directions while Adam settled in beside her, trying not to breathe too deeply. Cabs rarely smelled pleasant and he was unwilling to subject himself to the scent at he moment. Instead, he focused on Summer, watching her fingers dance across the touch screen keyboard of her phone without making an effort to see what she was typing. He was one of the rare hybrids who owned a cell phone; it was one of the first purchases he made when he returned home. Considering he was staying in a hotel room and needed a stable phone number of his own, a cell phone seemed like a good investment at the time.

"There's something you need to know about my friend before you meet him," Summer said suddenly, turning to face him with a slight smile—though the edge to it bothered him a bit.

He cocked his head, forcing himself not to think the worst. "What is that, exactly?"

"He was, ah…" She seemed to be grasping for the right words, then sighed and simply looked at him. "Fandango was born mute. He can't talk. He speaks primarily through sign language."

"My God." It was the best Adam could do under the circumstances; he wasn't expecting such a revelation and it hurt a bit to think about _anyone_ being unable to speak even from the beginning.

"He's fine, you know. He does good without having the ability to speak. Just calling attention to it tends to make him upset, so I figured I should tell you that now as opposed to when we get to his place." Summer sighed softly. "I hope that's not going to be a problem for you."

Adam shook his head and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Not at all. I promise."

After all, he knew what it was like to have people pity him. He'd never do it to anyone else.

* * *

**_A/N: So, first chapter of the first story of the Hybrid Chronicles, huh? Looks like progress to me. Obviously, this story focuses on the pairing of Adam Rose and Fandango with the side pairing of Summer Rae and Emma. And the fact Adam and Fandango just wrestled on SmackDown and Adam smacked his ass... Clearly, fate._**

**_I want to take a minute to include some trigger warnings for this story so that you know what you're getting yourselves into: Warning. This story will contain mentions of past abuse both physical and verbal, physical violence, graphic depictions of violence for medical purposes, and large amounts of bigotry. If any of these subjects upset you or offend you, then this story may not be for you._**


	2. Chapter One

_**Chapter One**_

_"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."_

—E. M. Forster

It had been a long day, but then, when were his days anything but long anymore?

Fandango set the pizza down on the kitchen table and leaned his back against the counter, breathing out a sigh as his brain flipped through yet another boring day of doing exactly what he always did. Much as he enjoyed his work—at least half of it because the bookstore was fun even if the coffee shop wasn't—he was tired by the time he came home. It was just a slump, he knew; he would soon be back to his normal self and spending at least half of his unoccupied evenings in the studio he had a key to. He just wished there were no slumps because the nights he went without dancing felt wasted to him. Certainly he was no professional and likely never would be because he just didn't have that kind of time, but it was still his only method of relaxation.

And on the nights he was too tired to dance, he had trouble sleeping and trouble waking up the next morning. It was just too hard and he hated that it had to happen on a regular basis.

He opened the cabinet behind him and retrieved two plates without really looking, setting them down on the table beside the box. Texting Summer to join him for dinner was the only way he could think of something to do to occupy his night and perhaps turn it around a little. Though their romantic relationship had gone nowhere, his friendship with her was invaluable and no one had the same way of bringing his mood up that she did. Even if her dad still hated him.

A knock at the door tugged him free from his thoughts. He combed his fingers through his hair as he crossed the apartment to answer, not bothering to glance through the peephole.

Summer stood on the other side of it and an automatic smile rose on his face as he leaned forward to hug her, just happy to have her there. Once, he'd broken her heart and he was certain they would lose their friendship as a result of it. She proved to be stronger than that by forgiving him and continuing to be the best and, currently, only friend he had in the world.

When he stepped back, he lifted his hands so he could sign to her. Without the ability to make his thoughts verbal, he'd picked up sign language and Summer had learned it to communicate with him. _Glad you could make it. Hope your dad didn't give you any hell about it._

_Not at all. I was already out when you texted me. I picked up a friend on the way. Hope that's okay._ She looked slightly embarrassed but he wasn't about to tell her no anyway.

_Fine as long as whoever it is doesn't expect me to talk._ He glanced behind her but saw no one, quirking an eyebrow at her. _Where is this friend, exactly? Or is it an imaginary friend?_

She scoffed and slapped at his arm. _I do not have imaginary friends, Fandango. He's just nervous. And he knows. You need to know he's a hybrid. So, you know, play nice._

_I can play nice with hybrids just fine, thank you,_ he reminded her, stepping back and waving for her to step into the apartment, noting someone moving in closer to her back.

"Fandango, I'd like you to meet someone," Summer said, and he assumed the verbal words were for their guest since she usually stuck to signing when it was just the two of them. "This is my friend, Adam. Adam, this is Fandango, my best friend for the last five years or so."

She ushered the hybrid—Adam—forward and Fandango was struck at the sight of him, fighting the urge to grin like an idiot. Adam turned out to be a tiny cat hybrid, his cute face framed by a wealth of dark chestnut hair curling oh-so-delicately. He peered up at Fandango with baby blue eyes bright under dark lashes, sinking his teeth into a temptingly full, pink, lower lip. Dressed in a simple white button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black pants, he would have looked like any casual guy if not for the pointed ears atop his head. They were the same dark brown as his hair, heavily furred, as was the tail half-curled around his waist.

Fandango tried to think of something to say, but his brain felt like it had short-circuited and his hands refused to move. Summer seemed to sense something was up and she took over yet again, leading Adam over to the sofa. "Fandango, why don't you get the pizza while I get Adam settled? No rush. Just don't take your sweet time about it if you know what I mean."

_I'll try not to. Tell him he's welcome to sit anywhere._ Fandango hurried to the kitchen afterward, his heart pounding against his ribs as he all but fell against the counter, scrabbling for support.

Adam was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful hybrids he had ever lain eyes on—and he was most likely Summer's new boyfriend or new love interest. With his fucking luck, anyway.

He would have to ask. He _had_ to ask. Not asking would be stupid and it wasn't like Adam would understand what he was saying to Summer anyway. It was one of the only bonuses he had.

He busied himself with retrieving a third plate from the cabinet, spreading the three out and opening the box of pizza. If Summer was interested in the guy, surely she knew better than to bring him over here. Fandango didn't prefer any one gender to any other, after all, and he had a thing for cat hybrids and the way they purred. It was just a personal thing, but she knew about it.

No use in just fucking around in the kitchen. He quickly tossed two pieces of pizza onto each plate and retrieved three cans of Coke from the fridge. Being a waiter came in handy sometimes.

Carrying the plates and the Cokes might have been hard for some people, but he had mastered the art of carrying so many things and managed to get it all onto the coffee table without a problem. It was then he realized Adam wasn't sitting. He was standing and looking at photos.

"Who are all these people?" he asked, and Fandango realized he was talking to Summer.

"Professional dancers," she explained, gesturing to the black-and-white photos Fandango had framed on his walls. There was a myriad of them, most of them by the same photographer. He had a love of dancing prints. "Fandango is big on dancing."

He cleared his throat, unable to hide his smile when Adam jumped and let out an adorable squeak. Then he fixed his eyes on Summer. _You have no right to tell him that._

_Try to stop me._ She winked at him and he huffed, sitting down on the couch while she snatched up the remote and turned on the TV, then told Adam he could choose what to watch.

Adam slowly lowered himself onto the couch beside Fandango; by sitting in the middle, Fandango had given them no choice but to sit on either side of him. He was an evil genius, after all. And it gave him a chance to study Adam, note the tension in his muscles. Seeing a tense hybrid tugged at Fandango's heart and he was reaching up before he was aware of it, searching for the sensation of soft fur against his skin. Adam squeaked again when he made contact, startled, but quickly leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, purring softly. Beside him, Summer made a knowing sound and Fandango frowned over at her in question. Instead of answering, she just picked up her plate and started eating, eyes focused on the TV screen.

They ate in silence for a moment and Fandango couldn't keep his eyes on the screen for very long, continuously glancing beside him at the hybrid sitting there. He was certain he never saw Adam before and surely Summer would have told him the moment she made herself a new friend.

Certainly if he was a prospective love interest, at any rate. She'd ask him for advice like always.

He glanced sideways at Summer, and it seemed like she was making an effort _not_ to look in his direction as she picked a piece of pepperoni off of her pizza, popping it into her mouth.

And just why would she be acting like that in the first place, exactly?

They had known each other for more or less five years, just like she'd told Adam, and she had never acted like this before. Usually, she would be shooting him looks, speaking to him with her eyes, an art form they have developed over the years to help communicate in weird situations.

And the one they were in right now? Definitely one of the weirder ones thus far.

Summer collected friends like she collected butterflies, but she'd never sprung any of them on him with no prior warning so he had a chance to brace himself. After all, he needed that time; living with a permanent disability meant he needed at least a few minutes to compose himself and put up the barriers necessary to "ignore" the stares aimed in his direction.

Not that Adam was staring. If anything, he was being perfectly polite and as soon as Fandango stopped petting him, he relaxed into the couch and started eating as if this situation was perfectly normal. Maybe, for him, it was. After all, Fandango knew nothing about him and it seemed at least slightly likely he was used to being around strangers if he could come off this relaxed.

They finished their pizza and Adam asked—very politely, keeping his voice low—if he could have another slice. Fandango nodded and pointed in the general direction of the kitchen, confident the hybrid would be able to find it on his own. After all, the doorway to the kitchen was the first room in the hallway and it was impossible to miss since it was open and the refrigerator was right beside it. Adam nodded, thanked him, and headed off in that direction.

It was the perfect opportunity for Fandango to figure out what the hell was going on. Oh, he had no doubt _something_ was going on because Summer certainly wouldn't bring a stranger into his house with no reason. But what is her reason? Why bring someone Fandango has never seen before, much less heard of, to his house for dinner? For that matter, when did she even meet him and why not mention him before now? There were too many questions swirling in Fandango's mind and he had limited time to ask her precisely what he needed to know about Adam.

He tapped her on the arm, quickly signing. _Who is he and why haven't you mentioned him before?_

_I just met him tonight, Fandango. I didn't have very much time to mention him. Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise._ Her eyes darted up, no doubt checking to see if Adam was returning. Then, she continued. _He's a doctor. He needs an owner so he can open a hybrid clinic here in the city._

_So you sprang him on me because you want me to take him in. That's exactly what you did, isn't it?_ He frowned at her, letting his hands fall to his lap once he was finished.

She frowned right back at him. _You live here all by yourself and you never do anything. You never go out anymore. You just go to work, come home, and dance. And he needs someone. I thought you might be a nice fit because you're going to use him. I'll kill you if you try._

_You're very protective of a stranger you just met tonight,_ he mused.

_He told me about all of this stuff he's done since his owner died, and it's just sad to know he can't do anything to help people because of our fucked-up laws._ She glanced back again and Fandango strained to listen. What was Adam doing, anyway? _He needs legitimate help._

He huffed at her and twisted around in his seat because he was pretty sure it did not take _that_ long to get a piece of pizza. _Then you do it. For that matter, how do you know he's not just lying to you to get in your pants? Because I'm about ninety percent sure hybrids aren't into medicine._

Adam chose that moment to return, settling in next to them with his plate. "Sorry. I got distracted by the photos on your fridge doors. Lots of you two together. Are you dating?"

Fandango shot Summer a look because he just _knew_ it; hybrids were far from the types to study medicine. They were excellent at the caring aspects of medicine and most of them had the ability to be excellent nurses, but he had never heard of a hybrid being a doctor and doubted one of the first ones would randomly show up in his apartment. And certainly not the boisterous little thing sitting next to him. There was no _way_ Adam had been serious about any of that.

"We used to," Summer said, leaning around Fandango, her curtain of soft golden hair blocking his view of the television screen. "But it didn't end up working out. Like I said, we've just been friends for a very long time. And Fandango doesn't really… Place nice with others. Do you?"

He flipped his middle finger up at her and both she and Adam laughed at him.

His lack of friends had nothing to do with not playing well with others, though that had certainly become a part of it over the years. When he became frustrated with someone's inability to learn to live with _his_ problem, he usually kicked them out of his life and settled on just keeping the one friend he knew would never leave him. Summer was important to him for more reasons than one, and sometimes he wished things had worked out between the two of them.

"Well, things tend to work out the way they're supposed to," Adam said with a shrug.

Summer smiled and nodded. "Exactly. And it wasn't meant to be, so it didn't happen. Both of us will eventually find that person we're meant to be with, and then things will work out."

_That is bullshit and you know it. There is no "one."_ He raised an eyebrow at her when she scowled at him and slapped his leg. _What? It's not like he can understand what I'm saying._

_Just because he can't understand you doesn't mean you shouldn't be polite to him._ Summer shook her head like she was disappointed in him; he stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation.

Adam's eyes drifted between the two of them and it occurred to Fandango—not for the first time—that it must be awfully strange watching two people communicate with their hands. It was natural for him and so he rarely thought about it, but occasionally he would be talking to Summer in front of a third person and said third person would just end up staring at both of them in confusion. After all, sign language wasn't a language most people knew and so the majority just watched and stared, trying to figure out what it was they were missing.

"Sorry," Summer said, smiling at Adam. "We get carried away talking sometimes and we forget other people can't understand. Why don't you tell Fandango a little bit about your studies?"

_His studies._ Fandango smirked and settled back into his seat, gesturing for Adam to begin speaking. If there was anything to his claims of studying medicine, maybe Fandango would consider giving him a helping hand. _Maybe._ Though most likely not. He knew he had the funds to support a hybrid and could have adopted one years ago if he put his mind to it, but he simply didn't have the time necessary to care for one. They needed extra love and attention that he couldn't provide, and considering he worked nearly all day long, when would he even be able to offer minimal support at best? It was impossible; he knew. He'd thought it out.

"Well, the last place I visited was Africa. It's where I'm originally from, actually." Adam paused, teeth sinking into his lower lip again, and Fandango wondered if Adam had come to the United States by choice. Most likely not. "They've got a surgeon there who's been cultivating the latest techniques to surgically remove ears and tails if they've been damaged for whatever reason."

"You mean if someone purposefully injured them," Summer murmured, and Fandango winced. Some humans had a cruel tendency to attack the ears and tails of hybrids in their ownership.

Fandango had seen hybrids without tails or with missing or scarred ears. It was horrible someone thought so little of them to attack those delicate parts. Most injuries couldn't be corrected.

Adam nodded slowly. "That's the usual method, yes. Though injury can be sustained in a lot of ways. Human surgeons aren't particularly good in understand the anatomy to do it themselves. Like the cartilage isn't quite the same and of course, there are bones in the tail to be dealt with. And surgeries on tails are especially difficult because damage can impair our balance. He's learned how to do them, though, and there's an African engineer who's working on prosthetics in case the tail has to be removed. And for ears to get the proper resonance back."

"Oh, right, because the insides of your ears pick up sounds, don't they?" Summer asked while Fandango struggled to process the information Adam had just dropped on them.

"Yes. There's also nerves there, which is why most of us enjoy having our ears petted. And nerve damage is a very important thing to be careful of during the surgeries. Especially if the skin's been cut or burned." Adam paused, his eyes going glassy for a moment, and Fandango nearly reached out to touch him before he suddenly sat up, gaze clear once again. "Really, though, what I want to do the most is open a pediatric ward for the children. Once hybrids reach a certain age, we can usually communicate our pain well enough to get things looked at, but little kids can't and so how would a doctor understand if a baby's ears or tail are injured? Or what needs to be done to help them? Or that they need special care and attention because when they're young, that affectionate bond needs to be established early on? We try to tell human doctors this and most of them don't care, but for us this is serious and what we need done for us."

Summer's face saddened but she nodded solemnly. "I hate seeing baby hybrids injured."

_Me, too,_ Fandango told her, chewing on his own lip as he forced himself to admit that what Adam had said so far sounded legitimate. At least, to him it did. He could always have Summer run that past one of the hybrids at the adoption center she volunteered at just to be sure, but he didn't think he had to. Some of that, he knew for himself. He had a basic understanding of hybrid anatomy from the one hybrid girl he dated after Summer; she'd been happy to answer his questions and he had tried to be as polite when she asked him questions about his muteness.

"I just want to help people, and I'm very tired of everyone making that hard for me." Adam leaned back against the couch and he did look tired. Exhausted, even. Poor thing.

"Fandango could help you," Summer said, and Fandango leveled a glare at her because he was _not_ ready for this conversation. "He doesn't have anything better to do with his time, anyway."

Adam looked startled. "Oh, I couldn't impose like that. He probably has work, and then his dancing. I wouldn't want to risk taking away from any of that. That'd just be inconsiderate."

_That is not proof he's a good person,_ Fandango fired off at Summer when she cocked an eyebrow at him. _I'm not doing it. I do not want to do it. He can find someone else to do it for him._

"You won't impose at all," she said, and Fandango made a disgruntled wheezing sound at her—it was the best he could do in lieu of verbal words, and by now she had to know what that sound meant. It, however, did not stop her from continuing and that just pissed him off in all kinds of ways. "Besides, you two would rarely see each other. All you need him to do is sign off on papers, and when he's home, you can just spend time with him and make sure he's a little less lonely. I think that'd be good for him because he spends way too much time on his own."

Hard to argue a point that was true, but had Fandango been able to talk over her, he would have fabricated anything he could to take credibility away from her very accurate points. It was one of the most frustrating things about not being able to talk; he couldn't stop people from saying things about him that he didn't want them to unless he put hands on them, and he would never put his hands on Summer. He could leave the room, but it would make him look like a sullen child and he was pretty sure he'd played that card to the hilt tonight. Best just to let her run out of steam before trying to rush both of them off. Summer had to get home before her dad got upset and started looking for her, and Adam had to go—wherever it was that Adam had come from.

_Africa. It's where I'm originally from, actually._ That actually went a ways to explaining the faint accent he heard on Adam's words, but it made Fandango wonder what that little pause had been about. Certainly, very few hybrids who were not born in America came here of their own free will, and only the ones whose owners traveled here to live likely had any say in coming over at all. Oh, Fandango was well aware the grand majority of them were bought cheaply overseas and then sold for massive profits once they reached America, their exotic background captivating to people who had never traveled and likely never would. It was a miracle Adam had ended up with a favorable outcome instead of being used and degraded like so many hybrids were, but that didn't mean Fandango was going to go out on a limb and adopt a total stranger.

Never mind that most hybrids adopted were strangers in the first place—no, he was _not_ going to go there right now. It didn't matter how humans chose hybrids to adopt because Adam wasn't in a cage and Fandango had no need of a companion. Spending his time alone was a reprieve from a day spent dealing with irate customers and just _people_ in general. Besides, once he was out of his slump, he would likely be spending his time in the studio where he belonged, so there was no need to have someone at the apartment waiting for him. That, and just signing off on major business ventures like this one didn't sit well with him. He knew _nothing_ about opening a clinic.

"And I have the letters behind my name now," Adam said suddenly, and Fandango wondered how much of their conversation he had missed while lost in his own thoughts. Apparently a lot of it because when he played Adam's words directly after the last ones he remembered hearing Summer say, it didn't make sense. Damn it, he needed to actually stop and listen to what the two of them were talking about. "I mean, I'm a legitimate doctor. I did most of my studying abroad but in Africa, I buckled down and took all of the tests necessary."

"See? This is perfect for you, Fandango. You'd be helping every hybrid in the city if you did this," Summer continued, and Fandango just sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

That, at least, was the most viable point either of them had made thus far. He _did_ care about the state of hybrids in the city. New York was big and so many people were crushed under the majority every day. Hybrids were marginalized and most humans refused to see them as equals, which was why Adam, a certified fucking doctor to hear him talk, couldn't open a clinic without a human to sign off on everything for him. It was far from fair and while Fandango recognized that and hated it, he didn't ever expect to find himself in a position to help fix any of it.

A gentle hand touched his arm, and he startled when he realized it was Adam. The hybrid's hand was callused and rough, no doubt from work, but his skin was still warm to the touch. "I understand if you can't do this. I never expected anything when I came here. But I want to thank you for at least listening to me. That's more than most humans have ever done for me."

Fandango bit his tongue to hold in the frustrated wheeze welling up in his throat. He shouldn't do this. Even if Adam had good intentions, he was still a stranger and it would be stupid to just take him in and do this for him. _And yet every single hybrid who gets adopted, except in rare cases, are virtual strangers to the people who choose to adopt them,_ he reminded himself.

Sighing, he fixed a glare on Summer and lifted his hands. _What the fuck do I have to sign?_

* * *

**_A/N: It's actually kind of nice to be able to write Fandango and Adam. It's a nice change and I really like where this story is going._**


End file.
